NCSF Media Updates are a sampling of recent stories printed in US newspapers, magazines, and selected websites containing significant mention of BDSM-leather-fetish, polyamory, or swing issues and topics. These stories may be positive, negative, accurate, inaccurate or anywhere in between.

Media coverage plays a large part in defining public perceptions toward alternative sexual expression. You and your organization can help shape media attitudes by speaking to the press about sexual issues that concern consenting adults.

For additional information, contact Susan Wright at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 917-848-6544

As Director of one of the largest BDSM/Fetish educational events in the country - The Floating World, I have had numerous occasions to work with people from NCSF in assuring the event goes off with minimal friction. They have offered invaluable advice on dealing with municipal authorities and have been very helpful in dealing with an always-prying media. Susan Wright of NCSF has been our media relations expert from the beginning, and has done wonders in keeping us out of the media circus spotlight.

One particular case was when a reporter from The Star Ledger newspaper decided our event was excellent human interest material, even though we explained clearly that we wanted no press. Susan spent much time on the phone and in person with this very determined reporter and managed to expertly turn the focus away from us. She did her best to get the story canceled, but when the Editor wouldn't have it she did excellent damage control, injecting positive elements into the story and delaying the release of the article until AFTER our event, avoiding a flood of curiosity seekers and other media looking for their own stories.

What could have easily been a media disaster became a manageable issue, and her help meant I could focus on keeping the event on track and protecting the privacy of our attendees.

Planning a larger kink event like Winter Wickedness is stressful enough, without adding in efforts to shut it down by the Radical Right. Although we recognized an effort such as this is largely based on misinformation and people’s fear of the unknown, we had invested significant amounts of time, effort and capitol, and were unwilling to be swayed by biased attempts to cancel the event.

With two weeks left before opening day, we heard that a local Christian radio station had done an inflammatory story on our event. Subsequently, the host hotel began receiving a smattering of calls from the listeners demanding the event’s cancellation. We initially contacted the NCSF to consult with their specialists as a preparatory step, in case this was picked up by the mainstream media.

A week later, the Radical Right had discovered their efforts were not producing the desired effect. They stepped it up and began contacting the mainstream media, the local authorities, including the health dept, the fire marshal, the local police dept, etc – in an effort to bring more pressure. We again reached out to the NCSF, which had Susan on the case, and Robin coming in for the event. Between the coordination of the Action Alert e-mails, Robin on the ground as the local media spokesperson, Susan keeping the heat on, and calling in to offer the media another voice – we had the NCSF as an invaluable ally in maintaining our sexual freedoms.

Although what it is that we do (WIITWD) is legal, safe, sane and consensual and had been given the go ahead by the local and state authorities; the radical right’s sensationalism, grassroots efforts and pointed innuendos implying inappropriate behavior, can create enough fear to jeopardize a venue. The NCSF has proven to us, beyond any doubt, that they are willing and able to fight back the bias and discriminatory efforts against us. The NCSF is a valuable asset to the Kink, Leather, GLBT and Alt Sex lifestyles. Adventures In Sexuality (AIS) is proud to be an NCSF Coalition Partner and will continue to bring the NCSF to all our events.

Every year, Leather SINS produces two national BDSM events in Chicago: Kinky Kollege and SINSations in Leather. Ever since the Concerned Women for America attacked five Midwest BDSM conferences in 2002, Leather SINS has consulted with the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom to ensure that our events would not face the same problems if we were attacked by religious political extremists.

Leather SINS has consulted with NCSF about a variety of issues while producing our events. We asked Susan Wright to accept the position as our media spokesperson, posting her phone number on our website so she can respond instantly to any media inquiries. Susan checks every page of our website for each event, looking for statements and phrases that may need clarification or may possibly cause problems if taken out of context by the media.

Leather SINS has gratefully named NCSF as one of our "WE CARE!" charities (along with LA&M). We're proud to be a Coalition Partner of NCSF, and would urge any group to take advantage of NCSF's knowledgeable Incident Response program consultants when producing an event.

Reports about the activities of the NCSF Media Committee

NCSF has an active media committee which provides interviews for print, radio, and television. We creates press releases, action alerts, and entertainment media updates. The Media committee also provides media training and coaching to coalition partners, advocacy groups and responds to hundreds of media related queries. With the action around the CDA lawsuit as well as other media events, this has been a busy year. This report details NCSF media activities over the last twelve months.

Interviews
Susan Wright gave 57 interviews with most of the media outlets contacting NCSF, indicating that NCSF has much higher profile than before the CDA lawsuit. These interviews were given to the New York Times (multiple reporters), Chicago Tribune (multiple reporters), Baltimore Sun (multiple reporters), Boston Herald, Esquire, Daily News, Inside Edition, Montell Williams Show, Maxim, Hustler, Bitch Magazine, and Las Vegas City Life, among others.

Press Releases, Action Alerts and Entertainment Media Updates
NCSF broadcast a press release about the Supreme Court decision on Nitke & NCSF v. Gonzales in March, 2006, which was carried in full or part in dozens of media outlets around the country. Reporters continue to call regarding the case to be the most recent. Salon.com requested an interview with Susan and John Wirenius in mid-August regarding ongoing obscenity prosecutions.

NCSF broadcast a press release in October, 2005, when Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced that his office intended to target "bestiality, urination, defecation, as well as sadistic and masochistic behavior" in pursuing new obscenity prosecutions. NCSF also sent out a press release in January, 2006, supporting Google when the U.S. Justice Department subpoenaed them to compel the Internet search engine to turn over records on millions of its users' search queries.

NCSF sent out an Action Alert in September, 2005, when an evangelical Christian group that targeted Southern Decadence, a world-famous LGBT event, stating "Hurricane Katrina has put an end to the annual celebration of sin."

Lisa Vandever created three Entertainment Media Updates in the last year. Regarding the Montel Williams Show entitled "Multiple Love: Polyamory" airing November 29, 2005, Lisa stated: "The episode did present a good and articulate range of people involved in various polyamorous relationships and a positive understanding of why someone might choose polyamory over monogamy." Regarding Big Love on HBO, Lisa stated: "As a "water cooler show," the series will warrant our continued notice for its ability to coalesce discussion around topics of great relevance to sexual freedom, providing opportunities to interject our experiences and viewpoints through letters to the editor, participation on message boards and even casual conversation. Regarding Dr. Phil's "Twisted Love" which aired on February 2, 2006, Lisa stated: "All in all, the show should be critiqued for its dismissive stance towards polyamory and encouraged to understand that many people are able to enjoy healthy and supportive polyamorous relationships."

Media Incidents
The major media incident of the year involved the New Year's Eve Ball at the Orlando Crowne Plaza Hotel Airport on New Year's Eve, 2006. A number of false press reports were published nationally regarding the conduct of attendees. The producers of this lifestyle event along with Bob Hannaford of the International Lifestyle Association, alerted NCSF and we immediately broadcast a press release correcting the false and inflammatory statements made by "soccer parents." NCSF's press release killed the story and the soccer parents who had been scheduled for a Florida radio show cancelled their appearance and ceased to give interviews to reporters.

NCSF was subsequently informed by two event producers that their contracts with InterContinental hotels to host alternative sexual events had been placed on hold pending InterContinental's investigation of the Orlando Ball incident. NCSF sent a letter to Kevin Kowalski, President, InterContinental Hotel Group Brand, giving them the correct information and protesting their arbitrary hold on the contracts. In subsequent conversations, Stephanie Yudin, PR Manager for the Brand, confirmed that InterContinental found no wrong-doing by the producers or attendees of the Orlando New Year's Eve Ball. Yudin stated that as long as alternative sexual events follow local and state laws, and abide by InterContinental's morality clause which prohibits nudity and sexual activity in the public areas of the hotel, it's up to each hotel's discretion whether or not they host alternative lifestyle events.

Another media incident took place in April, 2006, involving Club Tabu (now an NCSF Coalition Partner). Club Tabu is a lifestyle club in Greater Baltimore county which was targeted by the president of a local neighborhood association. Susan gave a dozen media interviews with print, radio and television reporters emphasizing that Club Tabu had established their club legally and that adults have the right to gather in private. The media publicity died within a week and the club continues to operate normally.

Requests for Media Help from Constituents
Susan receives hundreds of emails from constituents who send news articles about alt sex issues, ask questions about dealing with the media, or comment on NCSF's Media Outreach Project, press releases, Media Updates and Action Alerts.

Susan worked with 26 people (more than double last year) giving them media assistance and in assessing group and event websites. Susan was also contacted by three other sexual advocacy groups for help with their media messaging and for training their spokespeople and board members.

For confidentiality reasons, NCSF can't give the names of the groups or individuals we've helped. Some individuals who were publicized in the media include: Miss Kitty, owner of Kokomo Kinksters; Georgia, a pro-Domme and author who appeared on the O-Reilly Factor; and another pro-Domme, Mistress Jezebel, who gave an interview to a NY Times reporter in July, 2006.

NCSF is here to help you – the SM, swing, and polyamory communities. If you have a problem with the media because of your sexual expression, please call NCSF for assistance. You can visit our Web site on www.ncsfreedom.org or call our media hotline at 917-848-6544.

Please support NCSF in our effort to change the political, legal, and social environment in the United States. We are committed to making a difference.

Join NCSF as a member or please hold a fund-raiser and donate to NCSF!

Is it radio, television or print media? Is it a local news station or the alternative weekly paper? Some media outlets are naturally more conservative, while others are looking to sensationalize diverse sexualities, so you have to craft your message to counter the inherent bias with each media outlet. With print media, you have to be very careful because they’ll only pull one or two quotes from what you say, so only say what you really want to have included. For radio and podcasts, you can have more of a conversation.

You don't have to answer the interviewer's exact question

You rarely see the question in TV or print interviews, only the response. So feel free to pick out one word or phrase in the question and respond to that. If they ask about how people stay safe and protect themselves in the BDSM community, you can say, “The BDSM community is all about education, and that’s why so many people volunteer their time for groups like ours, to help teach people how to be responsible about their sexuality.”

Keep repeating your sound bites

It doesn't make for a stimulating conversation, but that's the way professionals get their point across. The reporter will ask their question several times, trying to get you to expand on what you're saying, to get a more sensational or off-the-cuff quote. Just be firm and keep repeating your point. They will respect you for it and will print the information in the sound bites you give them.

Flag your most important sound bites

This is done by saying, "The most important thing to remember is that the kink community educates adults about safe, sane and consensual sexual practices." Or "A key part of consensual nonmonogamy is communication in order to understand each others’ limits and desires." Or “One thing you always have to remember is that this is about honesty and building trust through talking about your feelings and desires.”

Don't repeat nasty or inflammatory phrases

For example, if they ask, "What do you think when people say you're eroticizing violence?" give one of your sound-bites: "Kinky sex is consensual because at any time the participants can stop what's happening." Don't repeat, "We don’t eroticize violence because..." or "Swinging is not cheating..." That makes their point for them.

Universalize the questions

If the reporter says something like, "Do you really like to beat each other up..." or "You people who have sex with everyone..." then respond with, "We, like you and everyone else in America, believe we have the fundamental human right to love who and how we want to with other adults."

If you need a moment, ask them to clarify

If you don’t want to answer a question, then ask them what they mean. It may not be the details you were about to give. If they are confrontational, you can slow them down by asking them what they mean.

Use standard terms rather than "scene" or Lifestyle language

If you start saying "scene" and "munch" and "lifestyle" and "Alpha and Beta" "leather" and "vanilla" and "top/bottom" then reporters and your audience won't understand you. Use ordinary terms as much as possible, or very rarely use terms and define them as you use them. ie "The top, that is the person giving the stimulation, must respect the limits of the person they’re playing with."

Use the name of organizations

Say you're a member of NCSF or the Polyamory Leadership Network. If you're representing a group or event, then mention the name several times. Explain that many groups are educational and social organizations that have been in existence for many years: "Over 500 educational and social, nonprofit groups exist in America for kinksters." Or “Meet-up lists 6 polyamory or nonmonogamy groups in this city.”

Don't utter a word you aren't prepared to see in print

Reporters will try to make you comfortable with them, to chat with them informally. Those are usually the quotes they use. You aren't there to make friends or "sell" the reporter on alternative sexuality, you are there representing the community, group and yourself in the best light possible. Stay friendly, but reserved, and think before you speak. If you make a misstep, then stop and start all over again. Then the reporter will have to use the completed thought.

Don't do or say anything you feel uncomfortable with

By the time you get into an interview, then the story will be printed or produced no matter what you do. You are completely free to say NO to anything you don't like. It is highly unlikely the reporter will just walk away and end the interview, even if they try to say you MUST do something or answer something. Some reporters talk about freedom of the press and accuse you of hiding information. I reply: "We believe that consent is the basis of any good relationship. You are becoming abusive by not respecting my limits."

Don't do anything sexual on camera

In the case of alt sex, a picture is NOT worth a thousand words. Don't let reporters take pictures of your polyamory family sitting on the bed. Don't do a BDSM scene in front of a camera. We need activists who will speak up for the alt sex communities and explain the serious issues such as discrimination and violence against our people. If the reporter is looking for images like these, it's likely you don't want to be involved.

Wear appropriate attire

This means business or casual wear, such as an activist or group t-shirt. Don't wear revealing fetish wear or lingerie. A picture is NOT worth a thousand words. If we want to be taken seriously, we must present an image that the average person can relate to.

Be animated, confident and happy

In TV interviews in particular, often the best thing is not what you say but how you say it. People will remember the image of your happy, confident expression much longer than the words you say. Even in a print interview, if you sound confident and knowledgeable and don't let the reporter push you into saying more than you wanted, you will be treated much more respectfully in the finished article.

Net Obscenity Provisions Revocation Sought

December 19, 2001, Washington, DC -- A small civil liberties group has asked a federal judge in New York to revoke what remains of an Internet pornography law that was gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997.

In a complaint filed in a New York City Federal Court [http://www.USCourts.gov ] last week, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom [https://ncsfreedom.org ] argued that the court should overturn the provisions of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) that prohibit Web sites from displaying obscene material online.

"Many people are unaware that one of the most powerful censorship provisions of the Communications Decency Act [http://EPIC.org/cda] is still in place. Even fewer realize the dangerous effect it could have in the hands of an overzealous administration and attorney general,"NCSF spokesperson Susan Wright said in a prepared statement. Passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, the CDA drew a barrage of criticism from industry groups, publishers and civil-liberties advocates.

In addition to prohibiting online obscenity -- which was already illegal in physical form -- the law called for Web site operators to be held criminally responsible if they allowed children to view constitutionally protected "indecent" material online.

Only the most graphic pornography and sexually explicit material meets the legal standard for obscenity. Milder sexually explicit material -- nude photos, erotic stories and the like -- may be considered indecent. But such material is protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

A broad coalition of public interest groups -- including the American Library Association [http://www.ALA.org], the American Civil Liberties Union [ http://ACLU.org ] and the Center for Democracy and Technology [http://CDT.org ] challenged the indecency provisions of CDA, on grounds that it could crimp the rights of adults to view constitutionally protected speech online.

The groups convinced a lower court to freeze those provisions; that decision eventually was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

But the NCSF, which promotes sexual freedom and counts as members many operators of sexually explicit Web sites, maintains that the remaining online obscenity ban in CDA has a chilling effect on Web site operators who want to post sexually explicit materials.

The NCSF specifically argues that the "community standards" test in federal obscenity law is meaningless in global world of the Internet.

The obscenity ban in CDA is based on a decades-old obscenity standard that applies to printed materials, films and photos.

Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) Associate Director Alan Davidson, who was involved with the original CDA challenge said that the obscenity language in CDA was deliberately left out of the first challenge for that very reason. "The concept of prohibiting obscenity speech -- as controversial as it may be -- has been relatively well-settled law for many decades now," Davidson said. "The focus of the original challenge was on the area of greatest threat to free speech, which was the indecency provision."

Most of the original CDA challengers are now in the midst of fighting another law -- the Child Online Protection Act [ http://COPACommission.org ] -- which was passed by Congress shortly following the Supreme Court ruling in CDA. That law has been dubbed "CDA II" by its opponents. The Supreme Court heard arguments on that legislation last month.